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29 March 2024

Ignorance of midday rule not acceptable as excuse

Outdoor workers will be entitled to a break from 12.30 to 3pm during July and August. (EB FILE)

Published
By Eman Al Baik

Ignorance of the midday break rule will not be accepted as an excuse if employers or their representatives ignore the instruction, said Humaid bin Dimas, Director General, Ministry of Labour.

Outdoor workers will be entitled to a break from 12.30 to 3pm during July and August. "In the past, some employers said they were unaware of the rule, blamed their foremen for breaking it or claimed it was their workers who wanted to continue working," Bin Dimas told Emirates Business.

"However, there were few such cases – just two per cent of the total number of inspection visits carried out last year. The ministry inspected 55,000 sites in the UAE and only 300 violations were reported. The violators were fined Dh10,000 for the first offence, Dh20,000 for the second one and Dh30,000 for the third offence. In addition, the company's grading was lowered."

This will be the fifth summer that the break rule has been enforced, and Bin Dimas said the ministry expects to achieve 100 per cent adherence.

"Last year, there were employers who stopped work completely even in shaded areas during the midday break," he added. "This reflected a good level of awareness of the ministry's rules and co-operation from employers. I compliment those companies and encourage others to follow suit.

"Earlier we used to ask employers to obtain prior approval from the ministry if they had to continue working during the midday break. With the high rates of compliance there is no need for such approvals."

He said works that cannot be stopped once started, such as pouring cement laying asphalt on roads or repairing water and electricity connections, could continue during the break.

"However, many employers in the construction sector say it is technically better to pour cement at night, so avoiding doing it during the day is better for employers.

"Employers should use common sense to decide what sort of work should be put under the 'cannot be stopped' category."

 

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